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'FIFA Superstars' Facebook game is first big EA-brand social game created by Playfish
EA Sports head Peter Moore has announced on his company blog that the label will be bringing FIFA Superstars to Facebook. The game is being created by social games developer Playfish, which EA purchased for a cool $300 million last fall. Earlier this year, the Wall Street Journal reported that the developer was working with a "well-known EA brand" for social networking platforms, and FIFA would certainly qualify as that project (despite The Sims being the best guess at the time). Moore didn't offer up any concrete details about FIFA Superstars' gameplay in his post, but did comment that additional information would be coming "soon." Seeing as how the World Cup kicks off in just a month, on June 11, it's reasonable to assume we'll hear more from Moore on the topic before then.
Bigpoint announces launch of Emporia
MMO developer Bigpoint has announced the launch of its newest venture: the English-language version of Emporea. Emporea is a browser-based flash MMO set among a familiar background of elves, orcs, and dwarves with a bit of undead thrown in for variety. Bigpoint describes Emporia as a "unique gaming experience" thanks in part to the overall game design. While the game carries traditional fantasy role-playing elements, it offers some pretty good customization and variety -- especially in the context of a browser-based game. You'll be able to interact with other players through diplomacy or force as you choose your path during the game: would you prefer to win them over via trading or alliances, or are you more of a conquering-nation type? The choice is up to you. Emporia offers strategic items such as buildings and military units along with the traditional spells and skills, further widening the opportunity for individual play styles. The Emporea site shows the game as being in open beta rather than a full-fledged launch, so we assume things are subject to further change and polishing. In the meantime, it's definitely worth a look.
WoW on iPad via streaming
World of Warcraft on the iPad? Apparently, thanks to an interesting service called Gaikai. Gaikai, currently in beta, is a new technology that will let you play any game online in your browser. Here's how it works -- Gaikai hosts the games on their servers and worries about the hardware and software updates, then they stream the games to you through your browser. They call this technology "Streaming Worlds." What does this mean for the average WoW player? Well, when you have a computer that otherwise looks seemingly impossible to play WoW on such as the iPad, you can use Gaikai to stream the game via Java, Flash or Silverlight to your computer, resulting in the screenshot shown above. While the screenshot is amazing, there are doubts to its credibility since iPad's browser doesn't support Flash. Unfortunately no video of the game in action was provided. However, the concept surrounding Gaikai, and the implications for browser-based games that are graphically intensive like World of Warcraft are fascinating.
PoxNora Maljaran Frontier expansion goes live
Sony Online Entertainment has announced the thirteenth expansion for PoxNora, their browser-based CCG/RTS hybrid. The turn-based fantasy game, which can also be played via Facebook, now offers adventurers the chance to delve into a campaign set on the mystical island of Maljara. The expansion looks to ramp up the war between factions via new runes and abilities. The Maljaran Frontier also adds a new map and soundtrack to the game, and furthers the story to include the death of a PoxNora hero. The Maljaran Frontier includes 78 new runes, a new single player campaign featuring eight missions, new races (Leoss and Kanen), new player avatars, and server disconnect protection. Players will be able to freely access three of the eight new missions, with the remaining five available in the game's marketplace. Check out the expansion announcement over at the official site.
Free for All: Does this qualify as "massive?"
I was interested in hearing some of the responses to my WURM Online column last week, so of course I went looking. It didn't take me long and I found mostly positive responses. Over the years I have noticed that some of my writings can be pretty misunderstood, and usually because the idea I am trying to explain is such a basic one that people just make too much out of it. In the column in question I was essentially trying to do one thing: to tell people that WURM Online is a lot of fun. Still, some people seemed to think that I was saying something else, and some people even questioned why I would talk about it. In the words of one comment: "Is it even massive?" The person that wrote that seemed to be questioning whether or not the size of the playerbase in WURM dictated a "massive" title, or coverage in Massively. I can see why some players have this numbers paranoia, being that many titles are currently blurring the lines between single player, instanced and persistent worlds. Many of these games are free-to-play.
EA launches Lord of Ultima browser game
Well, it's not the genre-saving 3D sandbox that many long time Ultima vets have been pining for, but it's a start. Electronic Arts today announced the availability of Lord of Ultima, a new MMO/strategy hybrid set in the revered Ultima universe. The free-to-play browser-based game features trading, alliance creation, army creation, diplomacy, and resource management. Developed by EA subsidiary Phenomic, the game was designed from the ground up to be accessible to a wide audience. "Lord of Ultima was designed to ensure that everyone, from strategy newcomers to diehard fans, can make it to the top of the leader board. Phenomic is committed to building dynamic communities that delight players as they interact with the game, each other and the legendary world of Ultima," said Volker Wertich, Phenomic Creative Director. Check out the official site for more information or to get started.
EA's Lord of Ultima browser-based MMO officially launches next week
EA's latest attempt to rejuvenate the Ultima franchise, the browser-based MMORTS Lord of Ultima, will exit open beta and go fully live on Tuesday, April 20. The game breaks from the franchise's usual norm of medieval vigilante heroism, and places you in the fur-lined boots of an up-and-coming ruler, who must build his kingdom through trade, diplomacy and neighborly acts of sabotage. If you're curious how the game operates, you can check out some gameplay clips from the beta on YouTube. Or, alternatively, you could just hop into the beta yourself. Or you could just be patient -- it's coming out in a week. Can't you wait a single week? Geez.
Pre-teen FarmVille player racks up $1,300 in charges
No, no, no. This simply will not do. There are so, so many things in this world worth buying with money you don't technically have, that we can't sympathize with a 12-year-old boy who, according to the Guardian, ran up a £905 tab (something like $1,380) by purchasing FarmVille funny money through developer Zynga. Since the boy lives with his (unknowing) mother, the company reportedly refused to refund the money, leaving the boy's life savings and the mother's credit card account in a world of hurt. There are a handful of burning questions at the forefront of our minds with this story, the most pressing being: What was the endgame, here, kid? Was your sizable initial investment going to be completely recouped with this season's bumper crop harvest of virtual soybeans?
Kung Fu Panda World starts sneak peek
What's more dangerous than a bear, tiger or monkey? A bear, tiger or monkey trained in deadly martial arts and given the slavish adoration of millions of small children everywhere, of course. So there's really no point in resisting Kung Fu Panda World, but we're sure that many kids won't want to anyway. This browser-based MMO moved into a "sneak peek" phase, enabling players everywhere to get a taste of the good life. Just plug into the website and start training up an animal in mystical Eastern fighting styles.
Heroes of Gaia tops 1,000,000 players
It's a rare feat when an MMO tops one million users these days. Even the big titles with big marketing budgets struggle to land several hundred thousand players due to the glut of games crowding the market. Heroes of Gaia has done just that, as the browser-based free-to-play MMORTS from Snail Games USA announced today that their monthly active-user population has topped 1,000,000 worldwide for the ongoing open beta. "Many browser-game developers and publishers claim traffic numbers which are based upon 'total lifetime accounts,'" said Michael Chan, Vice President of Global Business for Snail Games USA. "And this can be highly deceptive because many of those accounts are inactive. Our one million plus Heroes of Gaia users are unique accounts who have logged in during the past 30 days." Heroes of Gaia players can select one of four fantasy factions and use their hero to build castles, complete quests, and summon armies, all in the name of real-time strategic combat.
GDC10: Massively's interview with Virtual Fairground
The idea of virtual worlds and MMOs based on established brands is not a new one, and Virtual Fairground is a company that's been in the market for a bit. They've had the time to fine tune the concept and find exactly what they want to offer their audience. We spent some time with Maarten Brands and Ilja Goossens of Virtual Fairground at GDC this week and heard all about what the company is working on and what their goals are. Follow along after the jump to see what they had to say.
GDC10: Massively's day 2 roundup
Welcome to another edition of Massively's GDC 2010 daily roundup. Yesterday brought a fresh onslaught of news about many a forthcoming MMORPG, and our tireless reporters were once again on the front lines. The day was definitely quality over quantity, as we settled into the rhythm of the conference and sat down for several interviews that we'll bring you later this week, including chats with Virtual Fairground and Turbine's Fernando Paiz. For now, check out our GDC stories from yesterday that you might have missed. GDC10: An in-depth look at Battlestar Galactica Online Welcome to Poisonville R.A. Salvatore talks Copernicus Also, you can browse our Poisonville gallery below, and be sure to check back throughout the remainder of the week as we bring you more GDC 2010 coverage. %Gallery-87929%
PoxNora marches on Facebook
PoxNora, Sony Online Entertainment's CCG/RTS hybrid, has made the jump from browser game to full-fledged Facebook app as of early this morning. The turn-based title, in which players build decks known as Battlegroups and augment their strategies with Runes via the PoxNora web site, can now be accessed directly through the Facebook application interface. You can connect your existing Facebook, Station Access, and PoxNora accounts, as well as share achievements and accomplishments with your friends in game. PoxNora offers free trial play and the ability to purchase, upgrade, and trade Runes as well as options for creating custom Battlegroup decks. Check out the original press release as well as the application.
Earth Eternal takes players Down Below
The team over at Sparkplay Media have been hard at work polishing up Earth Eternal as they move towards the game's eventual release. This dedication to the 'it's done when it's done' MMO development is certainly a great thing to see -- especially when it comes hand in hand with fun new content! The newest patch, 0.8.5, adds a spooky new dungeon called The Down Below for players to explore. This area is an excavated ruin in Midland between New Badari and Grunes Tal that offers players 10 enormous new areas and 30 named mobs just perfect for groups of 5 level 33 to 36 players. There are also a bunch of fixes and updates in patch 0.8.5 that players of all levels will definitely want to read up on. The Earth Eternal beta is open for any and all people who have been interested in the game, but haven't had a chance to try it out. So if checking out browser-based MMOs where you get to play animals, robots, or demons sounds like something you'd enjoy, head on over to the Earth Eternal site and get signed up to play!
We now understand why everyone loves Cream Wolf
Cream Wolf, the most recent release on the prestigious Adult Swim line of browser-based games, might just be the first surprise smash hit of 2010 so far. It's been sweeping through the gaming press, swooning everyone who comes in contact with it. After spending a half hour with the game, we completely understand why -- and we wager you will too. Seriously, go play it. We're not going to spoil the game by going into too much detail about it, though we will say that you're a werewolf who sells ice cream to kids. That's a good enough jumping off point for your imagination, we think.
FarmVille community surpasses 80 million players
According to information collected by AppData, the FarmVille player base passed the 80 million mark yesterday. We'll give you a second to soak that in. It might help you digest it if we present the number numerically: 80,920,421. Or, perhaps you need another point of reference: That's almost the population of Germany. If you tried to orally count the number of people currently playing FarmVille, it would take you close to four years. And God only knows how large the player base would be then. In related news, Zynga CEO Mark Pincus recently bought a yacht for his yacht. It's just a smaller yacht, that rests precariously on the bow of the larger yacht, in case the larger yacht breaks down. A lifeyacht, if you will. [Via Destructoid]
Garriott returns to gaming with Portalarium
It should come as no surprise to anyone that Richard Garriott isn't a man content to rest on his laurels. Just after we hear that the documentary about his space trip is coming out, we now hear that he's found a new niche in the multi-player gaming industry. Only this time, he's not developing a traditional MMO as one might suspect. Instead, Garriott has revealed his involvement in a start-up called Portalarium, which is setting out to get a chunk of that browser-based social game cash floating around on Facebook and other social media networks. Currently, Portalarium isn't so much a games company as a games engine company. According to a great writeup about this new company by Dean Takahashi over on GamesBeat, their general feeling is that the current crop of Facebook games are "relatively primitive in terms of game play." The Portalarium team plans to make richer, more engaging games that will manage to give players a high-quality game while still remaining in a browser and not needing a separate download. In all, it's a fascinating article -- both in terms of technology, and in terms of what Garriott has been up to (there's a bit about Tabula Rasa in there too) -- so be sure to pop over there and give the full article a read.
GoldFire Studios announces caveman MMO
While it's certainly not the only genre out there, fantasy has dominated the MMO market for quite a while. Game developers looking for a change typically head in the direction of sci-fi and the future, churning out titles like Fallen Earth and Star Wars: The Old Republic. GoldFire Studios has chosen to go in a completely different direction with BC Wars, which is in open beta as of today. Want to channel your inner caveman? You might want to take a little bit of time to check out this browser-based, free-to-play number. It's a bit predictable -- you start on Pangea and clams are the local currency -- but it definitely has possibilities. You began as a low level caveman, wearing a loincloth and scavenging for food, and have 200 steps (turns) you may take each day to advance your character. Registration and character creation is quick and basic, and the game itself is a fun way to pass some time. Check it out here, explore the forest, and find some clams!
Square Enix wants to get down with the browser game market
Square Enix sees you over there, browser-based social games. President Yoichi Wada sees you working that lower barrier to entry and typically lower development costs. He sees and ... well, to put it to you straight: He likey. In fact, he's been talking to his boys over at Develop about you, stuff like "I believe that these types of games are going to be spreading and growing dramatically" and "the potential size of the market is enormous." You don't need a dictionary to know he is down. In fact, he's already got a team in Tokyo developing some games to help him break into you. That's a little aggressive for our style, but you gotta hand it to our boy: Wada is hungry like the wolf.
Heroes of Gaia celebrates 600,000 active worldwide accounts
For being in beta and being a browser based MMORTS, Heroes of Gaia is making a splash by garnering over 600,000 active monthly accounts worldwide for their beta -- a number that's nothing to sneeze at. Heroes of Gaia is a browser-based 2D isometric strategy game, where you build a persistent kingdom and armies to both defend your land and steal it from other unsuspecting players. The game is currently in an open beta phase right now, but is looking forward to their first major update, entitled Babel, which will implement many of the requests of the player base. If you think raising and army and conducting RTS combat is your thing, then you should jump on over to their main website and give the game a glance. It's free and run on an item shop, so there's not much to lose except a few minutes of your time.
